Millikin University

Millikin University is pleased to announce the names of the outstanding undergraduates who have been named to the High Dean's List for the Spring 2025 semester. Students who attempt 12 graded credits during a fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher earn Dean's List honors. Students earning a perfect 4.00 grade point average on 12 graded credits attempted earn High Dean's List honors.

Millikin University is pleased to announce the names of the outstanding undergraduates who have been named to the High Dean's List for the Fall 2024 semester. Students who attempt 12 graded credits during a fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher earn Dean's List honors. Students earning a perfect 4.00 grade point average on 12 graded credits attempted earn High Dean's List honors.

Angela Arnold, a senior international business major at Millikin University with minors in music and French, has been named a semifinalist for both the U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program to Kyrgyzstan and the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Turkish Program through the U.S. Department of State. A James Millikin Honors Scholar, Arnold is the first Millikin student to be named a semifinalist for the U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program.

Millikin University is pleased to announce the names of the outstanding undergraduates who have been named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2025 semester. Students who attempt 12 graded credits during a fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher earn Dean's List honors. Students earning a perfect 4.00 grade point average on 12 graded credits attempted earn High Dean's List honors.

Millikin University is pleased to announce the names of the outstanding undergraduates who have been named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2024 semester. Students who attempt 12 graded credits during a fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher earn Dean's List honors. Students earning a perfect 4.00 grade point average on 12 graded credits attempted earn High Dean's List honors.

Millikin University is pleased to announce the names of the outstanding undergraduates who have been named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2024 semester. Students who attempt 12 graded credits during a fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher earn Dean's List honors. Students earning a perfect 4.00 grade point average on 12 graded credits attempted earn High Dean's List honors. The students named to the Dean's List at Millikin University are listed in alphabetical order according to last name.

Millikin University honored more than 270 graduates from the Class of 2025 with two Commencement ceremonies in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center on Sunday, May 18. Graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Tabor School of Business participated in the morning ceremony, and graduates from the College of Fine Arts and the College of Professional Studies were honored in the afternoon ceremony.

Millikin University honored 80 graduates from the Class of 2024 with a Commencement ceremony in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center on Sunday, December 15, 2024. Students from the College of Professional Studies, Arts & Sciences, Fine Arts, and the Tabor School of Business took the stage and received undergraduate and graduate degrees in front of friends and family.

Millikin University is pleased to announce the names of the outstanding undergraduates who have been named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester. Students who attempt 12 graded credits during a fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher earn Dean's List honors. Students earning a perfect 4.00 grade point average on 12 graded credits attempted earn High Dean's List honors. The students named to the Dean's List at Millikin University are listed in alphabetical order according to last name.

Millikin University honored more than 270 graduates from the Class of 2024 with two Commencement ceremonies in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Students from the College of Arts & Sciences and the Tabor School of Business took the stage and received undergraduate and graduate degrees in front of friends and family in the morning ceremony. The College of Professional Studies and the College of Fine Arts did the same in the afternoon.

Millikin honored 95 graduates at the 2023 Winter Commencement at Kirkland Fine Arts Center on December 10, 2023. The ceremony recognized graduates from the College of Professional Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, Tabor School of Business, and the College of Fine Arts. "The first Commencement ceremony honoring the first four-year graduating class occurred in 1907. I'm honored to continue in that tradition and to award 95 degrees today because this ceremony has such significance to our University," Millikin President Jim Reynolds said. "It's the culmination of many years of hard work for our students and families. It is the end of an academic generation and the going forth of educated individuals who will help create a better society for us all to live and work in."

The Millikin University community gathered again for the annual Honors Convocation and Distinguished Faculty Lecture on Thursday, April 25, at Kirkland Fines Arts Center to honor faculty, staff and student accomplishments as the academic year approaches its close. Over 125 awards were presented to Millikin students and faculty who were honored for their commitment to academic excellence. Many awards have been created to distinguish alums from Millikin's past.

The Millikin University community gathered again for the annual Honors Convocation and Distinguished Faculty Lecture on Thursday, April 25, at Kirkland Fines Arts Center to honor faculty, staff and student accomplishments as the academic year approaches its close. Over 125 awards were presented to Millikin students and faculty who were honored for their commitment to academic excellence. Many awards have been created to distinguish alums from Millikin's past.

The Millikin University community gathered again for the annual Honors Convocation and Distinguished Faculty Lecture on Thursday, April 27, at Kirkland Fines Arts Center to honor faculty, staff and student accomplishments as the 2022-23 academic year approaches its close. Over 90 awards were presented to Millikin students and faculty who were honored for their commitment to academic excellence. Many awards have been created to distinguish alums from Millikin's past.

The Big Blue men's and women's tennis programs were each named All-Academic Teams by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for the 2021-22 season. To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above. The men's team tallied a team GPA of 3.32 in the 2021-22 school year, and the women's team achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.51. "I'm very proud of the consistent effort put forward by both teams on and off the court this year," Director of Tennis, Alex Covington said. "Their hard work in the classroom and on the court exemplifies the values of a student-athlete." Nine Millikin tennis players were also named Scholar Athletes by the ITA, notching a grade point average of 3.5 or above during the 21-22 academic year. For the women's team, Brianna Barconi, D Galvan, Emily Markus, Kaitlyn Mullins, Amber Rezinas, and Nikol Obradovic were named Scholar Athletes. On the men's side, James Broach, Cory Erickson, and Clayton Maack achieved the honors.

The Millikin University baseball team received the 2021-22 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, which is presented by Sports Attack on July 27, 2022. Millikin was one of 700 teams nationwide to be honored. Teams from every level of college and high school baseball were honored with this year's award, which highlights programs coached by ABCA members that posted a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for the entire 2021-22 academic year. Over 250 high school programs and more than 420 collegiate programs were recognized with this year's award. Millikin excelled in the classroom and on the field posting a 27-16 record finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin baseball standings. The American Baseball Coaches Association has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams are the nation's oldest, founded in 1949, and the ABCA's awards program also includes the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Awards, the ABCA/ATEC Regional & National Coaches of the Year and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.

Following a tremendous 23-7 season on the court, the 2021-22 Millikin women's basketball is being recognized for its academic performance by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Millikin received Special Mention recognition after ranking just outside the Top 25 in the WBCA Academic Top 25 for NCAA Division III. The Big Blue had a team grade point average of 3.638 landing just behind a tie for 24th in the ranking at 3.640. On the court, Millikin had a 23-7 record in 2021-2022 sharing the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) regular season title and advancing to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. Millikin is gearing up for another stellar season on the court and in the classroom. The Big Blue will return to the classroom on August 22 with basketball practice set to begin on October 15. Millikin will open the 2022-23 season on November 8 at Beloit College.

The United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced today that more than 1,200 collegiate and high school volleyball teams have earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award this season. The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. The Big Blue volleyball team was named one of the 1,200 squads that earned the academic honors for the 2021-22 academic year. The Millikin women's volleyball team has been honored with the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for four years in a row. "Academic achievement doesn't happen by accident," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "I'm so proud of the hundreds of coaching staffs that make excellence in the classroom a priority." The AVCA, an educationally based nonprofit headquartered in Lexington, KY, is the largest and most diverse volleyball coaches' association in the world. With a broad mandate to develop the sport, the AVCA provides leadership, recognition, advocacy, and professional development opportunities to over 8,000 volleyball coaches. Members include college, high school, club, and youth coaches, and well as a wide variety of product and service providers. Further information is available at www.avca.org.

Millikin men's golfer senior Max Phillips (Salem, H.S.) was named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars for NCAA Division III by the Golf Coaches Association of American (GCAA) on July 21. To be eligible for Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior academically in Division I, II, III, and NAIA. In addition, they must have a stroke-average under 76.0 in Division I, 78.0 in Division II, 78.0 in NAIA and 79.0 in Division III, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2 and participate in 50 percent of the team's competitive rounds. Phillips averaged 78.47 while turning in an outstanding academic performance earning a bachelor's degree in Chemistry. Phillips will be returning to Millikin this fall to use his final season of eligibility and study in Millikin's MBA program.

Millikin University women's golfers senior Morgan Greene (Eureka, H.S.) and junior Erin Klasing(Okawville, H.S.) were named to the 2021-22 Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar Team on July 5, 2022. Greene, a Business Management major, and Klasing, a Mathematics (Actuarial Science) major, were among 1,485 women's collegiate golfers recognized with this prestigious honor. The criteria for selection to the WGCA All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA for selection is 3.50. This is the second straight season that Greene and Klasing have earned this honor.

The Millikin University women's track team and five Millikin track student-athletes were recognized for their academic performance for 2021-22 by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on July 13. The Millikin women's track team earned All-Academic team honors for having a combined cumulative team grade point average of 3.39. Teams needed a team GPA of at least 3.1 to receive recognition. Five Millikin student athletes were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes for 2022 NCAA Division III. Athletes needed a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or above and needed to have competed in the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor Championships or be ranked in the top 50 (top 35) on the TFRRS national performance list. Millikin's honorees included men's track athletes senior Ben Kuxmann (Bourbonnais, Bradley Bourbonnais H.S.), an English Education major, and sophomore Jake Shumaker (Decatur, Mt. Zion H.S.), a Computer Science major. Millikin women's track student-athletes receiving the honor were senior Eryn Renison (Channahon, Minooka H.S.), a Nursing major, sophomore Katie Risner (Avon, Ind., H.S), a Chemistry major, and senior Hailey Wimberly (Salem, H.S.), a Biology major.

Millikin University's student-run newspaper, the Decaturian, garnered several awards at the annual Illinois College Press Association (ICPA) conference, held March 18-20 in Chicago. The Decaturian took home 17 awards in the under 4,000 circulation category at the ICPA conference, surpassing the Dec's 15 ICPA awards in 2021. As an entire staff, The Decaturian won third place in General Excellence and third in the Sweepstakes category for points earned across all contest categories. Jeana Pierson, a senior English writing major with a criminal justice minor, and editor-in-chief of the Decaturian, earned first place honors for Headline Writing. Sydney Sinks, a senior English writing major, reporter and editor for the Decaturian, earned two first-place awards for her in-depth reporting and a second-place honor for her editorial work. Carin Houser, a sophomore secondary English education major, writer and editor for the Decaturian, won three ICPA awards. Houser earned first place for her Spot News Photo of a firetruck; she was a member of a team that received third place for multimedia reporting, and she won second place for Sports Page Design. Below is the complete list of the Decaturian's Illinois College Press Association award recipients: 1st Place Charlize Pate, Feature Photo (Clock Tower) Jeana Pierson, Headline Writing Sydney Sinks, In-Depth Reporting Sydney Sinks, News Story Mason Hoyt, Column (Music) Carin Houser, Spot Photo (Firetruck) 2nd Place Sports Page Design (Carin Houser) Editorial (Sydney Sinks) 3rd Place Online News Site (All Staff) Multimedia Reporting (Athena Pajer, Carin Houser and Cole Anderson) Sports Column (Brandt Williamson) Sports Game Story (Caleb Buehrle) News Story (Athena Pajer) Honorable Mention Front Page Layout (All Staff) Feature Page Design (All Staff)

Millikin University student attorneys were recognized for their work at the 2022 Model Illinois Government (MIG) Moot Court Competition held March 3-6 at the Wyndham Springfield City Centre in downtown Springfield, Ill. The MIG Moot Court competition simulates arguments at the Illinois Supreme Court level. During the competition, teams of attorneys argue their case before a panel of student justices and legal professionals. This year, five Millikin student attorneys participated in the annual Moot Court Competition. Gillian Beginski, a senior double majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) and political science from Mundelein, Ill., participated on a hybrid team where she was paired with a student from Eastern Illinois University. Beginski's team advanced to the semifinal round of the competition. The team of Collin Budd, a senior majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) from Arcola, Ill., and Olivia Swords, a first-year student from Decatur, Ill., double majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) and English writing, and pursuing a French minor, also advanced to the semifinal round. The team of Hannah Prochnow, a junior double majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) and environmental studies from Bloomington, Ill., and Isabella Voss, a junior majoring in management information systems and pursuing a philosophy pre-law minor from Lockport, Ill., advanced to the final round and took second place overall. In addition to the outstanding team performances, Collin Budd was honored with the individual award for Most Outstanding Attorney. Budd was also elected to serve as Chief Justice for the 2022-23 year. In this capacity, he will provide organizational leadership for the 2023 competition.

Eight political science students from Millikin University attended the 2022 Model Illinois Government (MIG) Simulation March 3-6 which aims to give college students insight into the workings of state government and experience in running for elected office and debate. Students representing Millikin's legislative delegation worked to adapt their debate techniques, lobbying procedures and strategies for running for office, all leading to a successful simulation. Sophomore political science major Rhys Deiter of Fortville, Ind., served as the Attorney General on the organization's executive board for the simulation. Gabby Watson, a junior political science major from Murphysboro, Ill., served as a member of Deiter's staff and assisted with both the MIG journal and original legislation. Students Austin Bicknell, a senior from Bloomington, Ill., and Ana Vidric, were both elected to serve as committee spokespeople during the simulation. Vidric was recognized for her excellence in debate by receiving the Donna Lennon Award for the Most Outstanding Senate Committee Person. Other Millikin students who participated in Model Illinois Government include: Aimable Ngabo, a senior political science major from Kigali, Rwanda Jesse Ngoga, a management information systems major from Kigali, Rwanda Christian Strother, a junior from Cordova, Tenn. Clayton Bartlett, a junior exploratory studies major from Mahomet, Ill.